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Forgot to mention ...
My 10.5mm is not shaved and is used withe lens hood still in place without any intrusion into the image.
Also, I use the gold ring as my reference for setting up on the top rail and do not take much notice of the numbers, so line up the gold ring with the vertical axis of rotation by eye.

Hi Hugh
Appreciate the input - thanks
I shoot one row with 6 images, one Zenith and two Nadir - all seems to be working fine now. I don't use the lens rather but somethign similar

Originally Posted by Hugh

Hello Bob,

I use a D300 with the 10.5mm fisheye and it works fine.
This combination uses all the sensor and is 180 accross the diagonal, as John states.
If I am not interested in the zenith or nadir I shoot 8 around (45 intervals) with the lens axis horizontal, otherwise I shoot 8 around at -10 plus 4 at +45, which still gives me a small "hole" at the nadir, but if I need a "full" panorama I can either take a "patch" shot or use a tripod cap.
The numbers are degrees, but I am still new to the iPad and have not found how to add the degree symbol.

Dennis
Thanks - but I don't think I agree - "...too much..."
I started this thread by starting by stating what my understanding had arrived at as two broad general rules for use with any camera and any lens seeking confirmation or correction, and flesh-in. Vincen offered confirmation, others flesh-in. I was not seeking instruction and your comments feed into the "understanding".

Originally Posted by DennisS

This is only a starting position. There are way too many variables that come into play. A properly calibrated pano head does not necessarily position the camera so you can see the "knob" in the center of your viewfinder.

I think way too much is being made here. It is quite simple. Follow Smooth's and John's calibration exercises and you will be able to produce panoramas that will stich just fine no matter what camera/pano head combo you use.

In your quest to understand what is going on when one shoots a panorama, developing a series of rules is a good thing. You have to have a firm grasp on the basics so you know what to adjust when things go wrong.

Over the years PTGui has gotten so much better at stitching images that are not quite aligned. You can be millimeters off and still get a good stitch.

Not everyone has measuring equipment available in order to measure the bottom of the camera to the center of the lens.

After using several camera/lens/pano head combinations I have found that there is 1 rule that can be applied to all setups: Use Smooth's method of calibration. His method tests the entire system, not just your hardware but your stitching software also. Using someone else's numbers and pointing the camera down at the rotator are very good places to start. In the end you still have to verify your rig (and workflow) is calibrated.
When are we going to start posting your panoramas? I for one would like to see what you can produce.

In your quest to understand what is going on when one shoots a panorama, developing a series of rules is a good thing. You have to have a firm grasp on the basics so you know what to adjust when things go wrong.

Over the years PTGui has gotten so much better at stitching images that are not quite aligned. You can be millimeters off and still get a good stitch.

Not everyone has measuring equipment available in order to measure the bottom of the camera to the center of the lens.

After using several camera/lens/pano head combinations I have found that there is 1 rule that can be applied to all setups: Use Smooth's method of calibration. His method tests the entire system, not just your hardware but your stitching software also. Using someone else's numbers and pointing the camera down at the rotator are very good places to start. In the end you still have to verify your rig (and workflow) is calibrated.
When are we going to start posting your panoramas? I for one would like to see what you can produce.

Dennis

Dennis
Have read so much sometimes get overwhelmed - "Smooth's method" if I recall is shooting straight down and then stitching - if a smoothe circle, all OK, if saw-teeth adjust. Did that to confirm what I was mechanically doing - came out OK. Now I'm confident that I can cart my stuff into the field and set up accurately. I do use PTGui Pro...
I reaching to the point where I'm getting enough confidence in what I'm doing start to finish enough so that what I won't look like it was made by a complete dolt in comparison to others.

Bob,
To be clear, Smooth's method is to tilt down enough in order to get the rotator into the picture. I use a 6" disk mounted between the rotator and tripod head. Straight down will not work as well as tilting down, say 30 degrees or so depending on the lens used. You will have to play with the down tilt so that you get enough of the rotator in the picture.
There is so much to read. You can get burried in the details. That is why I try to keep it very simple. Don't worry about what camera/lens/pano head you are using. Just do the calibration and you will be fine.
Now that you think you are calibrated, go out and shoot something, stitch it and show us your results. It took me 6 months of trial and error before I finally got a good workflow figured out. Back when I started there was not much information and even less hardware available. Talk is cheap while a single pano is worth a thousand words.
Dennis